Dr_FIcta First time I've contributed to the IMDb reviews. Guess I'll start by weighing in on some films that I consider to be vastly overrated. This is one of them. I've decidedly got to go with the lowballers on KH-a movie that has 1970 written all over it. Indeed, how could a "war" film made in that year have been anything else? Along with M*A*S*H and The Dirty Dozen (and to a lesser extent Patton), all of which stem from the period c. 1968-70, KH suffers from the 25-year lag syndrome, meaning that the producers, director, and actors aren't very connected to the time period anymore (cf. Hogan's Heroes). Also like DD and MASH, especially, it's an insult to the spirit of the time portrayed. This is basically Ocean's 11 warped back to WWII itself and seen through a haze of pot smoke. Come to think of it, ultra-cool Donald Sutherland is in ALL THREE films. Tells you something right there....

joekwiatkowski I haven't read the other reviews, so I don't know if anybody else has touched on this point, BUT...have you ever seen a movie where it seemed that the parts were written specifically for the actors that played them? This movie seems that way to me. I get the idea, right or wrong, that the screenwriter had Telly Savalas in mind, for instance, for the role of 'Big Joe' before he inserted the first sheet of paper into his typewriter. Ditto for Don Rickles, Clint Eastwood, Donald Sutherland, and all the rest. Personality-wise, they all fit into their roles perfectly.With regard to the idea of making a comedy movie set in the midst of war, I suspect that soldiers involved in combat develop their own bitter sense of humor in their attempts to cope with the tragedy all around them.I would have been more offended with the early sub-plot involving 'Big Joe' (Sevalas) and his concern with securing willing French girls for his men to have sex with. What do feminists have to say about that? I'm no expert, but I suspect that soldiers are even more concerned with sex than the 'average man' since they don't know if they'll have the opportunity for one more intimate encounter before they get killed in action.One minor aspect I was very pleased to see was the selection of which unit the characters came from. The script placed them in an outfit that was actually in that part of France in the late summer of 1944. I would have to suspect that the movie was set in September of 1944, since the Americans hadn't yet taken Nancy and there was one sequence where the men are siting around in their t-shorts, apparently quite comfortable.All in all always a lot of fun to watch, whenever it's on TV.

aml-92238 When Kelly (Clint Eastwood) captures a German Colonel in WWII, he takes him back to base, gets him drunk, and he reveals that the Germans have $16 million hidden away behind enemy lines. Kelly soon devises a plan and gathers a few other soldiers and supplies to try and take the gold for themselves.The main reason why I watched this movie was that my Dad suggested it a few years ago, and he was eager enough to buy it on DVD so I didn't want to disappoint him. While I know this isn't one of my favorite movies, I still enjoyed it enough, which is strange since I don't really like military movies. Even though my Dad laughed at some scenes I just kind of snickered at, there were some genuinely funny parts from time to time, which surprised me because I thought it would be some serious, bland action movie.My favorite character had to be Oddball, played by Donald Sutherland. By not saying anything specific, I thought he had the most laughs and stole the show for me as not only my favorite character, but the one I related to the most. He was laid back and liked to crack a joke, my favorite kind of people. I also found no real problems with anyone's acting, which is good for this all-star cast of people in this movie.My only real complaint dialogue wise was that (at least the version I had) whenever German was spoken, there were no subtitles. Yes, some of it was pretty easy to comprehend without knowing what was being said, but I feel like some scenes would have benefited from the use of them. My only other real complaint was some of the pacing of the movie. At times, it felt like there were too many shots of people just standing around doing nothing or giving an exposition dump. And I know that every scene doesn't have to be an action scene, but I felt that some of them just dragged for a little bit longer than I wanted to.Now lets go back to the positives, I loved the scenery in this movie! All of it looks beautiful and the sets look so realistic. I also liked the fact that there was only one song that would only play periodically. I think that was one of the movie's strengths, it didn't need music to tell you to be happy, or sad, or excited, you could get that based off of what was going on or the actor's expressions. But the song that they used was very catchy and I found myself singing it in my head the last time it was played. Overall, I would recommend this movie, but with the warning that it might not become your favorite movie, and that it's not a "for everybody" kind of movie.

Tweekums When a German colonel is captured by Kelly, a US soldier, black bars are found in his bag; he claims they are just lead so he could sink the bag in a river but a few scratches reveal them to be gold. After questioning him Kelly learns there are fourteen thousand more bars in a bank in Clermont… Kelly decides there and then that he intends to get the gold. He will need help though as Clermont is thirty miles behind the German lines. The rest of his platoon are soon persuaded to join in; they are fed up of risking their lives for Uncle Sam; they want to do something for themselves for a change. They will need support though; this comes in the form of three Sherman tanks under the command of the distinctly odd 'Oddball'. It won't be easy; before they can get their hands on the gold they will have to pass through the front line, pass through thirty miles of enemy territory and finally deal with the German's in the town and their three Tiger tanks.This is a fun film; nicely combining a war movie with a heist movie to give us a really entertaining time. Clint Eastward puts in a solid performance as Kelly and Telly Savalas is equally good as his sergeant 'Big Joe' however it is Donald Sutherland's portrayal of Oddball that is the most memorable; he gives us a great character; a hippy long before there were hippies! The rest of the fairly large main cast are also pretty good. The film contains some great action which is bloodless so there are no disturbing images. That isn't to say that nobody dies; a few good guys and dozens of Germans are gunned down or blown up; the ratio may be more than a bit unlikely but this was never meant to be taken that seriously. As well as action there are plenty of laughs to be had along the way. If you are a fan of any of the main stars this is a must see and I'd certainly recommend it to anybody wanting a war movie that isn't too serious; the PG rating means it can be enjoyed by all apart from young children.